The invention relates to warhead technology and, more specifically, to methods for controlling the size of warhead fragments.
Warheads may be directed against a wide spectrum of targets. On one end of the spectrum, there are "soft" targets which can include personnel or aircraft parked in the open. On the other end of the spectrum, there are "hard" targets which may include anti-aircraft gun emplacements and tanks. Between these two extremes, there are a multitude of targets.
One of the factors determining whether a particular warhead will be effective against a particular target is the size (mass) of the fragments produced upon detonation of the explosive within the warhead. In general, the softer the target, the smaller the fragments can be.
Warhead fragment size can be predetermined. This has been done by either pre-grooving the interior surface of the warhead casing (the Pearson pre-groove system) or by pre-grooving the casing-confronting surfaces of the explosive charge or of a sheet of metal which functions as an inner liner for the metal casing. When the casing alone is grooved, the casing groove pattern determines the fragment size. On the other hand, when both the casing and the liner or explosive charge are grooved, the resulting groove pattern combination determines the fragment size.
A problem with the aforementioned techniques is that they cannot be varried after the groove pattern is set. Thus, for example, if the fragment sizes are chosen for soft targets and a new hard target appears, the effectiveness of the warhead will be reduced if it has initially been set for a soft target (and vice versa). This invention overcomes this disadvantage.